Tales of an Overtime Cook

When I was growing up, there was a store my family frequented that had an amazing bakery section. They baked everything fresh on premises, and it was all super delicious. My parents still shop there often, and they never leave the store without a loaf or two of their amazing homemade bread, or maybe a couple of bagels. There’s one treat we often used to buy from this bakery that stood out in my mind above all else.

Their cherry pie never looked very elegant. It was wrapped in saran wrap that often stuck to the top a bit, and the “lattice” crust was made from a cutter, not an actual lattice. But nobody could care about that, because it was just so delicious. We didn’t get this pie often, and in fact, it’s been years since I had it. But the amazing buttery crust filled with sweet yet tart and always juicy cherries stands out in my mind.

When I last had this pie, I doubt if I would have believed you had you told me that I’d soon be making my own cherry pie. Remember that I only made my first ever pie crust within the last year that I have been blogging. Plus, cherry pie filling is something that comes from a can, not that gets made. Right?

As you can imagine, my feelings towards making cherry pie have shifted since then. I’ve made numerous pies since that first one, but I finally decided to make a cherry pie. Naturally, with plans to make my own pie crust, lattice and all, I couldn’t open a can to fill it with. Besides, cherries are in season now, and absolutely delicious. I can’t believe I considered that in the past!

If you’re hesitant, let me tell you a few secrets. Firstly, making cherry pie filling is as simple as boiling a few ingredients in a pot. Promise. Secondly, making a lattice top for your pie is a lot easier than you think. And because I am awesome, I made you a little illustration. Excuse the pictures. I took them on my iPhone in the terrible lights of my kitchen. Scroll down past the ingredients for the directions.

Homemade Cherry Pie:

Ingredients:

For Crust:

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable shortening (crisco), ice cold

4-7 Tablespoons ice water

For pie filling:

Adapted from My Baking Addiction

4 cups pitted cherries

2 Tablespoons water

2 Tablespoons Kirsch (cherry brandy- if you don’t have, use water)

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

Optional topping:

1 egg, beaten

sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions:

For pie crust: (Note: these are basic directions. For more detailed information, see my tutorial here.)

In the bowl of a food processor, mix together the flour, sugar and salt.

Cut the shortening into cubes and add to the food processor. Pulse in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse (and uneven) crumbs. Do not over-mix.

Add the ice water, starting with 4 tablespoons and adding additional tablespoons as needed. Pulse until mixture just comes together. Do not add too much water!

Remove the dough from the food processor and roll it into a ball. Flatten into a disk and place in a plastic bag in the fridge to chill.

For pie filling: Combine all ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a boil and lower flame. Stir frequently for about ten minutes until the mixture appears jelly-like. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

To assemble pie: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled pie dough to fit into a 9 inch pie dish. press it into the dish and trim the edges.

Place the filling inside the pie. Set aside.

Prepare the lattice top: (see diagram above for pictures to correspond with the numbers.) Roll out the remaining pie dough into a rectangle large enough to fit over the pie.

(1) Cut the dough into even strips.

(2) Place 5 strips of dough evenly across the top of the pie.

(3) Lift every other strip of dough a little more than halfway, and gently fold it back across itself.

(4) Place another strip of dough going the opposite directions, just at the edge of where the dough strips are folded. Unfold the strips and lay them flat. Half of the strips should be over the opposite strip, and half should be under.

(5) Repeat the previous step, this time alternating the strips that you fold, so that those that didn’t get folded before are folded this time.

(6) Repeat the steps until you have five woven strips in each direction. Trip the edges.

To bake the pie: Preheat the oven to 375.

Brush beaten egg over the top of the pie, then sprinkle sugar over it.

Bake the pie for 35 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Did you enter my cookbook giveawayyet? If not, hurry and do so, time is running out! Thanks all for stopping by! I hope you enjoy this pie, and found the pictures helpful! -Miriam

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